Beacon Hill Church

Our text says that “the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous.” We are never hidden, nor are we lost. He always sees us.



REVIEW GENESIS, CHAPTER 16:

· Ten years had past since Abram and his household arrived in the land of Canaan; yet Abram remained childless.

· Sarai, following the laws of their culture, gave her handmaiden, Hagar, to Abram as a concubine, so he might procure an heir through her.

· Hagar becomes pregnant

The angel also promised that her son would not suffer under the weight of oppression, as she had, but that“He will be a wild donkey of a man” (v. 12) – in ancient times the donkey ran free and unbridled.

· She was to name her son, Ishmael – which means “God hears” - for the LORD has heard of your misery


Hagar was a handmaiden, an individual with no status in the family but that of servant.

She had no freedom to choose, but rather she was chosen to become a concubine.


HOW OFTEN HAVE WE EXPERIENCED THE FRAILTY OF OUR EXISTENCE?


The Apostle Paul experienced hardships:

In chapter 12, Paul spoke about what he called “his thorn in the flesh”:

In whatever state we may find ourselves, neither our circumstances nor our adversities are able to extinguish the Light of Christ in our lives or vanquish God’s Spirit.

ONE PRIMARY CHARACTERISTIC OF AN EARTHEN VESSEL IS THAT IT IS EXTREMELY FRAGILE

· Pottery vessels, unlike those made of glass or precious metal, have value as long as they are whole and intact.


LOOK AT THE CONTRAST BETWEEN THE EARTHEN POT AND THE TREASURE WHICH IS HIDDEN WITHIN:

The great value of one and the trifling value of the other.

The enduring nature of one and the fragility and vulnerability of the other


MAIN POINT OF THE TEXT, however, is not the value and enduring nature of God’s treasure, BUT HOW GOD USES this earthen vessel, which is fragile and has no lasting value, to display his incomparable, all-encompassing power.

The Spirit of faith that enables us to speak forth the Word of faith over our circumstances in the middle of our struggles.


Let’s return to the story of Hagar: Genesis 16:13

Hagar praised God and named him “El Roi” or “The God of Seeing”; the NIV translates it "You are the God who sees me,"

· When God sees, He views with intent and purpose.

· His sight represents his acknowledgement of the individual or situation and his intent to act


But the narrative doesn’t end there: The latter portion of verse 13: "I have now seen the One who sees me."

· It is not merely that God saw Hagar and spoke to her circumstances.

· When God spoke to Hagar and revealed Himself to her, he also opened her spiritual eyes to the life of faith.


GOD HAS NOT ABANDONED YOU! HE SEES YOU!


ALLOW HIM TO OPEN YOUR SPIRITUAL EYES TO THE HIM AND THE LIFE OF FAITH